


Prince of Dreams

by Exekyl



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Angst, Child Abuse, Childhood Friends, Childhood Trauma, Dreams and Nightmares, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-29 17:00:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19024141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Exekyl/pseuds/Exekyl
Summary: A little SoRiku fic/universe I came up with. Little Riku washes up on the shore of an island and meets a new friend. Antics ensue? Most definitely. Is there sadlore? You bet your bottom dollar. Strap in boys, this is gonna be a long and bumpy ride. ;v;





	1. Chapter 1

Looking with seafoam eyes through ghostly lashes, Riku blinked awake to the soft sound of waves. He shifted, tiny fingers digging into the wet sand. Confused, he looked around. _The beach? Where…?_ He stood up and brushed himself off. He was curiously dry, even after lying so near the waves. He squinted as he looked at the sky, a cloudless expanse of rich blue. As he looked back around him he spotted something: a lone figure standing by a huge slung palm. He couldn’t have been much bigger than Riku was, so he made his way to the tree, trying not to startle whoever it was.

The bridge to the isle with the tree was rickety, and the creak on his steps alarmed the tiny figure. They swung around and ducked behind the tree a bit, cautious but curious.

“Hello???”

It was a little boy with sandy brown hair and eyes and big and blue as the sky. He had a little crown barely situated on the least spikey part of his head of hair.  
            “Hello.”  
            The little boy suddenly beamed at the response, startling the silver haired boy. He bolted from behind the tree and toddled his way towards Riku.

“Hi! I’ve never had somebody else visit me here! I’m Sora!”

He stuck his little hand out towards Riku, staring eagerly.

Riku hesitantly grabbed his hand, shaking it. “Riku.”

“Riku? That’s such a cool name! Wanna come sit with me?”

He was already running back to his spot, before Riku could answer. He struggled his way up the tree, sandals sliding a bit before they caught a foothold and he managed to situate himself up there, patting the spot beside him for Riku to sit.

Riku climbed up beside him, Sora swinging his legs happily while watching the ocean.

“Isn’t it so pretty here! I come here all the time.”  
            “Um… Where _is_ here?”

Sora looked at him confused. “This is my island! Didn’t you know that before coming here?”  
            Riku shrugged, “I just kinda… woke up on shore?”

Sora frowned, crossing his arms. “Hmmm, no wonder you look lost. Is your island somewhere nearby then?”

Sora took Riku’s silence as his answer, giving out a little laugh and putting his arms up, hands resting behind his head. “Well, then you can just share this one with me! I’m the Prince here so I guess that would make you…” He looks Riku up and down. “…My knight in shining armor!”

Riku gives a little scoff, “Isn’t that for princesses?”

“Is it? Why can’t princes have knights too?”

“Hmm, I guess that makes sense.”

Sora beams again, this time even bigger than before, and hops down striking a triumphant pose.

“Well then, Sir Knight, care to go on an adventure with me?”

Riku laughs, hopping now from the tree, and smiled at this strange boy, “Okay.”


	2. Chapter 2

Riku woke up in the same spot again to the eager grin of his friend. Seafoam meeting bright blue, he smiled and took the hand he was offered. They’re been doing this for a couple years now, growing together under the veil of night, in the gentle sunlight of Sora’s special dream. He’d realized it was a dream not too long after first coming to the island, Sora toting himself as the “Prince of Dreams,” faking the swish of an invisible cape and adjusting his crown.

They also learned a bit more about each other, like how Riku had two brothers, both younger, and that Sora does have an older brother. He always looked so sad talking about his brother, but Riku decided not to pry. If Sora didn’t feel like telling him more, that was fine. All he knew was that his big brother got into an accident and hadn’t woken up in a long time.

Brushing the thought aside, Riku stretched his arms high. It was another night with Sora, and he was glad for that. Their games of tag and knights had evolved into races and swordfights. The spark of rivalry in Sora’s eyes when they crossed swords lit a fire in Riku, pushing him forward. The desire to win swelling ever higher with each passing day. As the sound of their swords cracked in the waning sun, something caught Sora’s eye and he hesitated – just enough time for Riku to disarm him and leave him defenseless, sword barely inches from his eyes.

“I win again, Sora! You’ve really gotta keep up!”

“That’s not fair Riku! You know I could have beat you if that girl didn’t just wash up!”

“Oh sure you w—what? Girl?”

Riku swung his gaze to the shoreline as Sora jogged his way over, leaning over this unexpected guest. She was around their age, still asleep with a shock of bright red hair. She grimaced as she stirred, clutching her head as she rose. “…Where…?”  
            Sora bounced excitedly, “Hello!”  
The girl looked taken aback, but soon smiled in return. “Hello.”

“My name’s Sora, and that’s Riku!” He pointed to a bemused Riku, who just crossed his arms and shook his head. “What’s your name?”

The girl blinked, her eyes as blue as the ocean behind her, “My name’s Kairi.”  
            Sora grinned, that silly ear to ear grin that Riku should be used to by now. He scoffed, “Come on, Sora, if you’re gonna _loom_ over her you can at least help her up.”

He walked over and offered Kairi his hand while Sora sat there startled. “Hey!”

Kairi chucked, brushing the sand from her little dress and crossing her arms behind her back. Rocking back and forth on her toes, she glanced around. “So, Sora, Riku, what exactly is this place?”

Riku sighed as he braced himself for Sora’s little speech. Sora straightened himself out and made a wide, sweeping gesture across the visible expanse of the island. “This, my lady, is my island! A land of dreams, and _I_ am its humble prince!” He gave a smug smile as he then gestured to Riku, “And this, fair maiden, is my most loyal knight and ward.”  
            Riku snorted at this, “Oh I’m a _ward_ now, am I?”

“I don’t make the rules Riku!”  
            “What are you talking about?! You _literally_ do!”  
            “Well _yeah_ , maybe, but still!”  
            “Sora, do you even know what a ward _is_?”

The two were interrupted by Kairi’s giggling, “You two are too funny! Do you always play here?”

The two exchanged glances, “Well, yeah. There are other spots sometimes, but it’s mostly here.”

“Do you… think I can play with you guys?”  
            “Sure! How about we race! Last one to the tree has to do a _hundred_ push-ups!”

“What?! That doesn’t sound fair.”  
            “Hmm, sounds like something a _slowpoke_ would say.”

Kairi glared at Riku then smirked, “Alright then, you’re on.”

. . . . .

            Riku relaxed against the crooked tree as the sun began to set. It’s been more relaxed since Kairi came here, there was less fire between the two boys with her in the picture. He liked the time they’d spend collecting shells and teasing Sora. He also found that he has a lot to talk about with her about things in the outside world. Sora was homeschooled, and was rather quiet about his home life, but Kairi was a student at a private school in her hometown. It was cool spending time comparing the atmosphere there with Riku’s public school experience. They even managed to switch phone numbers with each other so they could chat outside the dreams too. They tried explaining to Sora why he should get one and how they work, but it always seemed to go in one ear and out of the other. “ _He isn’t ready to brave the scary world of technology yet_ ,” Riku whispered to Kairi after one attempt, garnering a chuckle.

Sora and Kairi were getting close to each other too, playing by themselves whenever Riku didn’t really want to join in. He’s smile as he watched them race each other across the beach, breathing in the crisp ocean air. They built sandcastles a lot too and chattered on with each other about something or other while Riku was busy listening to the waves. Still, Sora’s next comment to Riku took him by surprise.

            “Riku, as the Prince of this realm I hereby decree that Kairi be instated as a Princess effective immediately. With Kairi as Princess, it is my role as Prince to make sure she stays safe.”  
            “What?!”

            Riku looked from Sora to Kairi, confusion painted on his face, even she looked shocked at this turn of events.

            “But, Sora…” Kairi gave him a concerned look, “You say that, but you know I’m not a great fighter… If you’re protecting me, and Riku’s protecting you, then who’s gonna protect Riku?”  
            Riku made a face. **_That’s_** _the question you’re asking right now?!_ Sora pondered it for a moment, then lit up and laughed. “Me, of course! Because I’m also decreeing that Riku be made a prince effective immediately too!”

            The both reeled back at this. “Sora! I can’t be a knight and a prince at the same time! And you can’t expect to protect both of us at once, especially when I’m the better fighter.”

            “Oh? Who says I can’t? _I_ make the rules here, don’t I?” He gave Riku a smug grin as he clapped his hands. Two puffs of smoke produced two items – a crown and a tiara – and Sora placed them on each of his friends’ heads. He clapped again, and with another puff the crown on his head grew ever so slightly taller. “There! Now I can make sure both of my friends stay safe!”

            Kairi and Riku looked on, astonished, as Sora walked off toward the incoming tide, clearly pleased with himself. They gave each other concerned glances, but silently agreed not to press it too much. Something was up.

. . . . .

            As the days and weeks began to pass, Riku and Kairi found themselves with a bit more time to themselves. Most days, Sora would be his usual self; but other days Sora didn’t want to play, stowing himself in the little hideaway he and Riku would play in when they were younger. Some nights they wouldn’t even wash up on the island at all, and the two would exchange worried texts with one another. Kairi would sometimes make a comment about the worry in Riku’s eyes. The sad frown he wore when they talked about Sora while he was hidden away. He’d brush it off and chalk it up to wanting to kick his butt at sword-fighting again but Kairi knew this wasn’t the case. She knew in her heart that Sora wasn’t the one really growing distant.

            One day, though, Kairi had enough. She decided to visit Sora in the cave he’d stay in on those bad days. She was tired of them both being so distant. She wanted them to play and race and collect shells _all_ the time again and not have to worry about them. She wanted to go on adventures with them, to see if Sora was ready to make the little island they stayed on for so many years connect to bigger and better places. She did not expect what she found there, curled up in Sora’s lap. _Another… Sora?_ She squinted. No, this couldn’t be Sora. Sora didn’t have such dark hair, a deep midnight blue that you could barely distinguish from black in the shade of the cave. Sora didn’t wear so many clothes; she couldn’t find a spot of bare skin on the other Sora that wasn’t his face. He didn’t have striking yellow eyes that were brimming with tears like the boy in his lap did. No, this Sora was different. He never looked so closed-off. So fearful. So _pained_.

            “ _It’s okay… you’re okay… I’m so sorry… please don’t cry…_ ”

            She could hear the strain in Sora’s voice as she watched him cradle the other. The boy clutched Sora’s hand for dear life it seemed, and Sora was giving him a tearful yet reassuring smile, gently stroking his hair with his shaky free hand.

            “Sora?”

            The sobbing stopped. Everything was eerily still. _Silent._

“Is… everything okay in here?”

            In the split second after she opened her mouth the second time there was a scuffle, the dark Sora scrambling from his lap while Sora gave a weak attempt to reach out to him. In a flash the boy’s body was wrapped in dark smoke and he disappeared, the rage in his eyes still lingering in Kairi’s direction after the smoke dissipated. Sora wiped his tears and got to his feet. He sniffled, “Sorry, Kairi. Did you and Riku need something?”

            Kairi frowned, all of a sudden feeling terrible, like she’d just interrupted something incredibly private that she wasn’t ever allowed to see.

            “N-no… I just wanted to check and see if you were ok.”  
            “Oh…” Sora flashed her one of his characteristic smiles. “I’m totally fine! Something just… came up! But I’m ready to hang out if you guys want to! You… haven’t been waiting on me, right?”

            Kairi frowned, shaking her head and holding her hand out with a soft smile. “C’mon Sora, let’s go swimming, I’m sure some splashing around might cheer you up.”

            “Sure! Last one to the beach is a rotten egg!”

            He took off running ahead of her, but Kairi lingered for just a moment, her eyes resting on the spot where the other Sora disappeared.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm gonna be posting more chapters of this as i finish them so please be patient with me i'm just a creacher.


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